Boxing

 

Another thriller is approaching fast… will it live up to its expectations and should it?

By Janne Romppainen

22.11 - Let’s face it. The big rematch between Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales earlier this year wasn’t a bad fight at all. In fact, it was a beautiful display of boxing skills by two great fighters. Still, many spectators were disappointed not only because there was no clear winner but because it wasn’t the kind of thriller that most expected after seeing their classic first clash in 2000.

Now there is another eagerly anticipated rematch coming along as the rivals Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti go for it again next weekend. The last time they met, Ward took home a controversial decision victory after a fierce display of heart and stamina by both fighters. Now everybody is waiting for a same kind of fight, anything less will be considered as disappointment. When will they ever learn?

I think it is unrealistic and even unfair towards the fighters to wait for another classic. The first fight was something special, something you don’t see many times in year, not even in a decade. Should we really expect them to reach the same level right away again? Another thing is that even though last time they slugged their hearts out, neither was clearly the better man. Why would they repeat the same strategy if it didn’t work the last time, especially considering that they both took some heavy punishment and even risked their health in the process? Even the ultimate soldier Barrera changed his battle plan for his rematch so would it really be surprising to see Ward and/or Gatti do the same?

Most times the rematches do not live up to the expectations created by their first chapters. From this year, the boring rematch between Forrest and Mosley could be used as another clear example of that. In that fight too, both men clearly respected each others punching power and didn’t want to get caught with their opponents biggest shots. That is totally acceptable from any sane human being.

If we see a repeat of the first fight in Ward-Gatti II, that is great and I truly applaud them both. But I do not believe that. Instead, I think we will see a more tactical fight with less action but more boxing. In that kind of fight I would pick Ward by a narrow decision. In the end I have just one small wish for all the boxing fans: don’t bash the fighters if they don’t want to punch each others brain out this time. That doesn’t make them any lesser fighters. The one that I really wanted to hear this request is Larry Merchant.

Comments: janneromppainen@hotmail.com

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